Introduction; 1. A history of parsimony in thin slices (from Aristotle to Morgan); 2. The probabilistic turn; 3. Parsimony in evolutionary biology - phylogenetic inference; 4. Parsimony in psychology - chimpanzee mind-reading; 5. Parsimony in philosophy; References.
This book uses philosophy, science and probability to analyse why simpler theories are better than theories that are more complex.
Elliott Sober is Hans Reichenbach Professor and William F. Vilas Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin, Madison. In 2014 the Philosophy of Science Association awarded him the Carl Gustav Hempel Award for lifetime achievement in philosophy of science. His publications include: Evidence and Evolution: The Logic Behind the Science (2008), Did Darwin Write the Origin Backwards?: Philosophical Essays on Darwin's Theory (2011) and Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior (1998, co-authored with David Wilson).
'Sober's treatment of the role of Ockham's razor in
scientific methodology is, quite simply, the best that
one can find in the philosophical literature today. With
excursions into such diverse topics as model construction, Bayesian
statistics, phylogenetic inference, philosophy of mind, and general
philosophical methodology, readers of all stripes will find this
book rewarding.' James M. Joyce, Cooper Harold Langford Collegiate
Professor of Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
'Ockham's Razors is a great book that philosophers, scientists, and
anyone else interested in reasoning about the empirical world would
do well to read carefully.' Daniel Steel, Notre Dame Philosophical
Reviews
'A flawless crash course in probability theory is expertly
delivered at the outset, providing the casual reader with
everything needed to grapple with the fairly technical discussions
that follow.' Tom Graham, The Times Literary Supplement
'I view this monograph as an ideal introduction to Sober's
philosophy. This is helped by [his] clear and entertaining style of
writing: Ockham's Razors is a pleasure to read. As such, I
recommend the book to any graduate student with interests in the
philosophy of science, the philosophy of probability or the
philosophy of biology. Furthermore, the book is suitable for a
graduate seminar on Ockham's razor and individual chapters can be
used for specialist graduate courses in the philosophy of
probability, the philosophy of biology and the philosophy of mind.'
Bengt Autzen, Philosophy of Science
'It is an impressive work - well worth reading for philosophers and
scientists from a number of different fields and essential reading
for philosophers of science interested in scientific epistemology.'
Joel Velasco, Mind
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